%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1340665255072180100%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.%%[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tabletop_games_3071.jpg]][-[[caption-width-right:300:[[TabletopGame/DuneChroniclesOfTheImperium He who controls the game controls the universe]].[[note]]From top to bottom: TabletopGame/{{Chess}}, ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'', ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''[[/note]]]]-]

Tabletop games are games which don't involve physical competition (separating them from sports) or electronic devices (separating them from VideoGames). It's generally agreed that a tabletop game must involve some physical objects, otherwise it would be a [[ParlorGames Parlor Game]]. [[NonindicativeName A table is not required]], however; most tabletop games can also be played sitting on the floor or standing up, but a table is usually the most convenient option.

There are many different categories of tabletop games, including:* BoardGames, such as TabletopGame/{{chess}}, ''TabletopGame/{{Risk}}'' and ''TabletopGame/SettlersOfCatan''* Dice games, such as craps, Dice 10,000 and TabletopGame/{{Yahtzee}}* CardGames with the traditional deck, such as TabletopGame/{{poker}} and TabletopGame/{{bridge}}* {{Collectible Card Game}}s, such as ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' * {{Tabletop RPG}}s, such as ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''* {{War gam|ing}}es, such as ''TabletopGame/AxisAndAllies'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''

And then there are lots of games that don't fit into any of these categories very well, from TabletopGame/{{Mahjong}} to Connect Four.

Of course, the variety in gameplay is also enormous. Two aspects in which tabletop games can differ quite significantly are hidden information and [[RandomNumberGod random elements]]. For example, in chess, there is no hidden information and no randomness; everything is determined by the players' own actions, and everything in the game is revealed to both players. In ''TabletopGame/{{Stratego}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Diplomacy}}'', there are no random elements either, but the amount of hidden information is huge, and deceiving your opponent(s) is an important part of gameplay. In the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_the_Goose Game of the Goose]], there is no hidden information, but the randomness is turned UpToEleven – ''[[LuckBasedMission everything]]'' [[LuckBasedMission is random]], and players have zero control over the outcome of the game. Poker is a good example of a game that features both random elements (which cards you are dealt) and hidden information (your opponents' hands). Most games likewise have a little of both. There also exist games which incorporate other media in addition to the base content of the game, such as those which involve a [[UsefulNotes/{{VCR}} VHS tape]] or UsefulNotes/{{DVD}} to display in tandem with the physical game, introducing further elements and events during play.

Recently, WilWheaton has promoted the board game hobby with his web series, ''WebVideo/{{Tabletop}}'', where he and several 'geek celebrities' (famous geeks and people involved in cult nerd shows and projects, oftentimes both) play a variety of board games, from ''TabletopGame/SettlersOfCatan'' to ''TabletopGame/TicketToRide'' to the ''TabletopGame/DragonAge'' tabletop RPG campaign. [[http://tabletop.geekandsundry.com/ It can be watched here]] as well as from YouTube, and has gone through two seasons at the time of this writing.

See TabletopGameTropes for tropes that apply to tabletop games and GameTropes for a more general index.